DictionaryAI

thou

SayTHOW/ðaʊ/
As a nounTHOW

Noun pluralthous, thou

4 meanings of thou

Practice

  1. 1
    you (old)pronounarchaic
    Singular of ye: an old word for you, used as the subject when talking to one person.

    In the old poem, the knight says to his king, "Thou art wise and fair."

    Oh cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for this is thy dominion!
    1843, Charles Dickens, A Christmas CarolHere, thou means you, said to one person, here speaking to Death.

    UsageOld verbs go with it: thou art means 'you are'.

    Note
  2. 2
    money amountnounslangcountable
    A thousand, often a thousand dollars or pounds.

    That old car cost him five thou.

    She saved a few thou for her trip to Mexico.

    UsageUsually leave off the s after a number: five thou.

    Similargrand, K, G, large

    Note
  3. 3
    tiny lengthnouncountable
    A very small measure of length, one thousandth of an inch.

    The clearance between the two parts must be less than one thou.

    The metal pin was two thou too thick to fit in the hole.

    Similarmil, mill

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    address someoneverbtransitive
    To call someone thou instead of you, often to be rude or very friendly.

    In the play, the rich man thous the poor man to insult him.

    Old friends in the village would thou each other as a sign of being close.

    Similarthee

    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of thou apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meaning 1

It comes from the Old English word þū, meaning “you” when speaking to one person. From the 1200s, under French influence, people began using ye instead in formal or polite speech.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

Meaning 4

It comes from the word thou, through an old verb meaning to call someone “thou”.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

  • The verb thou derives from the pronoun thou through a Late Middle English verb meaning to address someone as thou. en.wiktionary.org
Meaning 3

A short form of the word thousandth.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Meaning 2

A short form of the word thousand.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact